currently I'm just using it as a chamber for my waterchange pump. Is there anything else I can use this chamber for to maximize my filtration?
Second Sump Chamber
- Thread starter Jhay3513
- Start date
My perspective:
-The down-side to this setup is that you are not pre-treating your tap water... it looks like your tap water is being pumped directly back into the tank? You could mitigate the risk of this WC method by dosing the whole system with a dechlorinator/conditioner, but in the end, you're basically wasting conditioner to save water. Which is more expensive?
-You don't need to worry about the potable water hose on the drain-line to the sink, but it's good to use such a hose on other aspects of your build, especially if the hose it going to be hit by sunlight.
-Try shutting down the sump-pump and doing the WC on the tank itself. This will better balance the costs of water/conditioner.
-The down-side to this setup is that you are not pre-treating your tap water... it looks like your tap water is being pumped directly back into the tank? You could mitigate the risk of this WC method by dosing the whole system with a dechlorinator/conditioner, but in the end, you're basically wasting conditioner to save water. Which is more expensive?
-You don't need to worry about the potable water hose on the drain-line to the sink, but it's good to use such a hose on other aspects of your build, especially if the hose it going to be hit by sunlight.
-Try shutting down the sump-pump and doing the WC on the tank itself. This will better balance the costs of water/conditioner.
I never have treated my tap water before water changes and my tap water is near perfect with 0 ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate and very minimal chlorine. I dose with seachem safe before and a tiny bit after just in case and in the 5 years I've been running aquariums I've never had a problem pumping water straight from the tap into the aquarium. The reason for this thread is for ideas on what to do with the empty second chamber of my sump. The system is probably upwards of 100 gallons and doing a standard drain and fill for an hour and a half is out of the question
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I don't think many on here with sumps would do what you're doing. But that said you've stated that in all the time you've been doing it that way that things have been fine, so from your perspective why change? If your water parameters are fine that would suggest whatever set up you have down in your sump is working so i wouldn't do anything with that redundant chamber, for now. Maybe as your stock grows or you get more fish you'll find your bio load increases and that's when that redundant chamber will come in handy for more bio. Besides, if you filled that chamber up with loads of stuff you'd have no where to put your pump when you do your water change!
That is a true statement! Don't change it if it ain't broke.
If you do need more bio filtration you could put K1 in there, little pricey but it works great. Here's some info on it https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...a.html&usg=AFQjCNG4hns9zFGtFu4E9kfi_qIKj4TV5A
That makes a ton of sense. I got the idea from this video and a few others
Yep I've looked at K1!!!!! I was also thinking about maybe adding a purigen reactor or something. Who knows?!?! Our aquariums are like having a high performance car. It'll never be 100% to you. You always HAVE to find something to improve lol
I have some ideas......Pothos, or water lettuce and a little strip light above the sump to make 'em grow. Or get a breeding pair of fish in the display, net out the fry after they swim around for a few days and grow them out in the sump.
I like it!!!!!! I was thinking about doing a refuge. The only thing about floating plants is that chamber overflows into chamber 3 so a floating plant would not work. I did think about putting a little bit of matrix or something in there and put some wisteria or Anachris in there. So many options. And that way I wouldn't have to remove the pump and it'll suck up some nitrates. Thanks
esoxlucius
ragin_cajun
twentyleagues
!!!!
Look at water lettuce, or Pothos, or Frogbit maybe. I had some water lettuce, I liked it a lot. It's a pretty big surface plant, stays together, fibrous and strong. No way it gets sucked under.
